Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Crown Heights Community Mediation Center is recruiting for three full-time AmeriCorps positions. AmeriCorps is an intensive service program designed to meet the nation’s critical needs in education, public safety, health, and the environment. Participants receive a bi-weekly stipend check and upon completion of their service hours an educational award of $4,725. At our office, AmeriCorps members will assist clients, create and run programs, and ensure that the storefront operations run smoothly. These jobs have tremendous responsibility and provide plenty of opportunity for learning and professional development. If you or someone you know would like to join our team, send a cover letter and resume to crownheightsjobs@gmail.com Please put the job title in the subject of the e-mail. The first round of interviews will take place the week of September 7th, so please submit your materials as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you! Here are the job positions:

The CrownHeightsCommunityMediationCenter is a unique neighborhood institution that works to improve community problem-solving, collaboration, and inter-group relations in CrownHeights, Brooklyn. Operating out of our storefront offices since 1998, the MediationCenter seeks innovative ways to promote community cohesion in our neighborhood, known for fragmentation. This includes providing residents with links to resources on issues like education, parenting, housing, and immigration; providing support to young people navigating the challenges of a community tainted by violence, drugs, and poverty; and galvanizing neighborhood, borough, and city stakeholders in order to improve the quality of life for all residents.

Responsibilities:

Outreach

Represent the MediationCenter at community meetings such as community board, precinct council and parent teacher association meetings 7-10 times a month. On those days, work hours will be flexible, generally from 3-10pm.

Retrieve the information from the meetings and communicate it to the staff at the office.

Set up meetings with other local service providers to share information about our services and learn about other programs in the area.

Propose programming based on information gathered at local meetings.

Resources

Update a Community Resource Directory with current information and new service providers and programs

Provide resource referrals for community members in areas such as housing, employment, job training, immigration, public benefits, etc.

Youth Programming

Lead activities in a weekly youth entrepreneurship program designed to help young people (16-20) start their own business (January-May)

Engage the youth in educational and fun activities that teach business skills

The CrownHeightsCommunityMediationCenter is a unique neighborhood institution that works to improve community problem-solving, collaboration, and inter-group relations in CrownHeights, Brooklyn. Operating out of our storefront offices since 1998, the MediationCenter seeks innovative ways to promote community cohesion in our neighborhood, known for fragmentation. This includes providing residents with links to resources on issues like education, parenting, housing, and immigration; providing support to young people navigating the challenges of a community tainted by violence, drugs, and poverty; and galvanizing neighborhood, borough, and city stakeholders in order to improve the quality of life for all residents.

Responsibilities:

Revamp the Center’s current employment programming to include:

Meeting with clients for a fixed number of sessions

Helping clients create resumes

Teaching clients how and where to search for jobs

Providing clients in need with resource links to computer and job training courses

Developing relationships with local Employment Placements

Coordinate the program planning and activities for the Crown Heights Leadership Training Institute. The Crown Heights Leadership Institute is a program designed to bring together diverse members of the community together to learn concrete skills in community strengthening such as coalition building, grant writing, working with media, etc.

Develop and plan other programs and projects as they arise (examples include planning a health fair, a community photography contest, a reentry-resource fair, etc.)

Assist walk-in clients with resources and referrals for such issues as housing, employment, and immigration

Support other staff members as needed

Commit to the mission and purpose of the CrownHeightsCommunityMediationCenter

Represent the MediationCenter in a professional manner

Qualifications:

Organized with strong attention to detail oriented

Ability to create relationships with other job resource coordinators

Personable with clients

Ability to engage others and teach them

Creative, patient, and decisive

Computer savvy including knowledge of Microsoft Suite

Ability to keep track lots of information

Ability to delegate responsibility

Excellent phone manner

Excellent oral and written communication skills

Ability to work well with diverse populations

This is a Full-Time AmeriCorps Member position. The Leadership Training and Employment Specialist will serve 1700 hours in 365 days, receive a living stipend, and an educational stipend.

The Fund for the City of New York is an equal opportunity employer. Diversity gives us strength and depth. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Position: Office Manager/Trainer (Americorps Position)

The Organization:

The CrownHeightsCommunityMediationCenter is a unique neighborhood institution that works to improve community problem-solving, collaboration, and inter-group relations in CrownHeights, Brooklyn. Operating out of our storefront offices since 1998, the MediationCenter seeks innovative ways to promote community cohesion in our neighborhood, known for fragmentation. This includes providing residents with links to resources on issues like education, parenting, housing, and immigration; providing support to young people navigating the challenges of a community tainted by violence, drugs, and poverty; and galvanizing neighborhood, borough, and city stakeholders in order to improve the quality of life for all residents.

Responsibilities:

Provide up to date resource referrals for community members in areas such as housing, employment, job training, immigration, public benefits, and other areas of client needs

Monday, August 17, 2009

Mediation Center staff spent three days last week training Peer Educators at the Morris Heights Health Center at Truman High School. The training created a cohort of peer educators who will contribute to the community, learn about the services of the clinic, and help their classmates navigate sexual health decisions and other issues adolescents face. Topics focused on pregnancy prevention, abstinence, and positive decision making. Throughout the workshops, youth developed skills such as group facilitation, active listening, and how to appropriately communicate about the program.

Megan Sloat and Jodi Winemiller, two nursing students from Yale University, researched the community this summer and created a phenomenal Resource Guide for Families in Crown Heights. Included in the guide are resource links to social service providers, information about childhood nutrition, local day cares and neighborhood preschools, ideas for recreation, afterschool, and summer programs for children, and much more. Thank you so much for combining so many different organizations and information in one helpful place. To read the guide, click here or look under the documents section of the blog.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

StoryCorps, an organization that records stories of everyday people, came to the Crown Heights Mediation Center on August 5th to preserve the stories of community members. Three facilitators came and set up microphones and other recording devices in the office, as staff members prepared the rest of the office, unplugging phones, covering the doorbell, and being careful to be extra quiet during the day. Each noise can impact the recording quality of the CD StoryCorps makes for each participant. StoryCorps believes that through the storytelling and listening process, people experience others' history, hopes, and humanity. Those who participate in StoryCorps recieve a copy of their recorded story, and another copy gets stored in the Library of Congress.Community members streamed into the Mediation Center throughout the day to interview others and tell their own stories. Arna Lipkind, Community Liaison at Council Member Darlene Mealy's office spoke about how she brings community members together though her work, including how she hosted a Health Fair last year. Julia Boyd, an active Crown Heights resident, told one story about how she was arrested for protesting the City's budget allocation towards education, and ended up talking to Sex in the City star Cynthia Nixon during the arrest. Each story preserved an important part of Crown Heights history.Thank you to our residents for sharing your stories with us, and StoryCorps for bringing the experience to Crown Heights. If you or someone you know would like to participate in StoryCorps, there is StoryBooth in lower Manhattan that is open to the public. Please visit the StoryCorps website here to sign up and share your story.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Crown Heights Mediation Center staff have been active in the community participating in a myriad of projects. Last week, we collaborated on a community painting of an anti-gun violence mural on Brooklyn Avenue and Propect Place. Youth from across Brooklyn have been learning about gun violence all summer and planning for this mural. Last Tuesday, they invited the entire community to participate in painting and join in spreading their message. Many other people and organizations have been working to turn this mural into a reality including: Assemblyman Karim Camara,American Friends Service Committee, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, Groundswell Community Mural Project, and the Damon S. Allen Foundation. Stop by the to see the progress the youth are making on the mural!See other blog entries about the event and project:

Also on August 4th, Mediation Center Staff spent the second half of the day in Brower Park as part of the 77th Precinct's Community Council's Annual Night Out Against Crime. Attendees enjoyed facepainting, temporary tattoos, and resource referrals. Those that came out to Brower Park also had the opportunity to take part in music and dancing, a barbecue, a fashion show, and other live entertainment. Thank you to everyone who made this day possible.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

On July 30th, the Mediation Center held a celebration in honor of the first class of the Greenpoint Youth Court. These young people have been working since December to train and hear cases of low level infractions committed by their peers. They have developed leadership skills, public speaking skills, and been ambassadors to their peers and classmates. During the graduation ceremony, Deputy Inspector Fulton, Commanding Officer of 94th Precinct, addressed the graduates, the current youth court members in training, and the many family and friends attending the ceremony. He stressed the tenacity of this group and praised their diligence in getting through the struggles of being the first class. The evening's guest speaker was Judge Eileen Koretz, Supervising Judge for the Criminal Court of the City of New York. From 1997 until her appointment as Supervising Judge, she was the Presiding Judge at the Midtown Community Court, the first successful problem-solving, community-focused, court in the United States. She spoke to the youth court members about the importance of being part of the problem-solving court system and how their role as youth court members contribute to helping their community and a broader society. Congratulations to all the graduates and our youth court participants!

Donate to the Mediation Center

Click here to make a monetary donation to the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center. Please make sure to select "Crown Heights Mediation Center" in the program designation dropdown menu.
If you'd like to make a donation by mail, please make your check out to our parent organization "Fund for the City of New York" and mail it to the Crown Heights Community Mediation Center, 256 Kingston Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11213.